


Teammate

by writers_haven



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, I wrote it, M/M, Pining, So yeah, but hey, rated for F-bombs, this was requested a longass time ago and only now am i writing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 14:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6427387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writers_haven/pseuds/writers_haven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the moment Yamazaki Sousuke stepped on the scene, Nitori could see his chances with Rin going up in smoke. It was like something out of a shoujo manga. They were childhood friends, finally reunited after years of absence. They were both amazing athletes at the top of their game. They brought out different sides of each other– Rin was always so free and unreserved with Yamazaki, and Yamazaki was much more gentle with Rin than anyone else. Basically, they were the perfect love story.</p><p>Nitori? He was a supporting character, the little kouhai that tried his best but rarely succeeded, the just-a-friend– no, maybe not even a friend– a <i>teammate</i> who was so little of a threat that the love interest didn’t even bother getting jealous over him. Yes, Nitori knew his place from the beginning. He was– and still is– happy to step down, to ignore his feelings for Rin until they inevitably blow away like dust in the wind of time.</p><p>His teammates, however, disagree.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teammate

Nitori thinks he might be going crazy.

It’s no secret to anyone on the Samezuka swim team that he has a huge, unflattering crush on their captain. In fact, Nitori knows for a fact that Kishimoto and Hoshino have been trying to matchmake Rin and Nitori for months. (The whole team is involved, but thankfully Yashida is soft-hearted and loose-lipped, so Nitori’s been able to sidestep most of the ridiculous plots.) If Rin’s noticed, he hasn’t said anything– and if he’s ever going to notice, he would have already. The team is not subtle in the slightest. Nitori’s resigned himself to pining over an unrequited love.

Which he’s okay with. Really. He’ll get over it. He is, in fact, over it _right now_. Or close to being over it. Or will be. Soon.

Anyway.

Nitori knows he’ll get over his stupid crush. The thing that’s driving him mad is the fact that _nobody else seems to think so_.

Okay, look. Let’s start from the beginning.

From the moment Yamazaki Sousuke stepped on the scene, Nitori could see his chances with Rin going up in smoke. It was like something out of a shoujo manga. They were childhood friends, finally reunited after years of absence. They were both amazing athletes at the top of their game. They brought out different sides of each other– Rin was always so free and unreserved with Yamazaki, and Yamazaki was much more gentle with Rin than anyone else. Basically, they were the perfect love story.

Nitori? He was a supporting character, the little kouhai that tried his best but rarely succeeded, the just-a-friend– no, maybe not even a friend– a _teammate_ who was so little of a threat that the love interest didn’t even bother getting jealous over him. Yes, Nitori knew his place from the beginning. He was– and still _is_ – happy to step down, to ignore his feelings for Rin until they inevitably blow away like dust in the wind of time.

His teammates, however, disagree.

If anything, their matchmaking operation kicked into high-gear. Each plot became bolder, every scheme more desperate as time went on. Nitori ignored them, went on with his life as usual, figuring they would lose steam when they realised the same thing Nitori did.

Unfortunately, they didn’t.

It wouldn’t be a problem if the plots didn’t plant a tiny seed of hope in Nitori’s chest each time– only to be ripped out violently in the face of Rin and Yamazaki’s unshakeable connection. Sometimes they made Nitori wonder if he’d ever get over Rin.

And that was why they had to stop.

\--

To Nitori’s horror, even Yamazaki and his sharp eyes seem to cotton on. He’s always watching, his gaze always intense and intimidating. Nitori tries to make it plain that he’s given up, that the team’s meddling has nothing to do with him. He starts to pull away from Rin’s touch, avoids the hair ruffles he once treasured, stands further away so Rin can’t hook a casual arm over his shoulder. He tries to spend more time with Yamazaki, to show him how small and weak and terribly average Nitori is next to Yamazaki, to prove he doesn’t have to worry about Nitori stealing Rin away from him ( _hah_ , what a _joke_ ).

The absolute worst thing? Rin looks so hurt every time Nitori shies away from his touch, or declines Rin’s offers to hang out, or asks Yamazaki to help him with weight training instead of Rin. It’s killing Nitori, but he’s not Rin’s best and only friend anymore, and he’s not the love interest of this story. He’s just a teammate, a supporting character, someone to take part in the medley relay because Rin and Yamazaki can’t do it alone.

So he grits his teeth and keeps at it. If Rin’s friendship with Nitori is getting in the way of his relationship with Yamazaki, Nitori will step aside. He’s sure that whatever friendship he can offer Rin pales in comparison to the deep, meaningful bond that exists between the two childhood friends. It’s fine. He gets it.

Unfortunately, Nitori’s efforts don’t bear fruit. Yamazaki is still _looking_ , perhaps even more intensely than before, his face twisted in a frown; and Rin, Rin keeps glancing at Nitori, like he’s worried. Nitori avoids both gazes and throws himself into swimming. He’s over Rin. He is.

“I need to talk to you,” Yamazaki murmurs to Nitori one day after swim club, while Rin is still busy showering. “Come to the pool tonight, after dinner.”

Nitori gapes at him, tries to tell him that it’s not necessary, that Nitori has no intention of acting on his feelings for Rin– but before he can find the words, Yamazaki drops an almost reassuring pat on his back and heads for his locker.

“Senpai,” Nitori begins hurriedly, but Yamazaki shakes his head.

“Just come,” is all he says, pulling his shirt over his head. “We’ll talk later.”

Nitori wants to protest, but Rin’s making his way over to them, so he snaps his mouth shut and gets dressed quickly. He doesn’t know what he’ll say if Rin confronts him about his behaviour. Nitori knows himself, and he knows he will probably cry and spill everything if Rin asks forcefully (or kindly, or worriedly) enough.

“Good job out there, Ai,” Rin says, trying too hard to be casual. His arm comes up like he’s going to ruffle Nitori’s hair; Nitori pretends not to notice and bends over to pick up his bag to avoid it.

“Thanks, captain,” Nitori says, smiling weakly. “Sorry, I have to run, I have an English test tomorrow, and you know how terrible I am at English.”

Rin’s face brightens. “Oh, well, I can help you–”

“No,” Nitori blurts out, far too quickly. Rin looks like he’s been slapped, but Nitori forces himself to continue, “No, uh, I mean, it’s fine. I- I need to start doing things by myself. I can’t keep depending on you for everything.”

“Alright,” says Rin softly. “Make sure you get enough sleep tonight.”

Nitori bows to his seniors and practically sprints out the door.

\--

Nitori shows up at the pool barely half an hour after dinner. Yamazaki’s not there yet, so Nitori sits by the edge of the pool and dips his feet in to calm himself down. On one hand, he knows Yamazaki isn’t actually as scary as he looks –he’s shown himself to be quite kind, if a bit of a tough coach– but on the other, it would be easy for Yamazaki to drown him in the pool and claim he had an accident while practicing after club hours. Nitori didn’t even tell Momo where he was going, or who he was meeting with. The whole thing is just shady.

“Hey,” says Yamazaki by way of greeting from behind Nitori.

“Yamazaki-senpai,” Nitori gasps back, scrambling to stand. “I was just–”

Yamazaki waves it off. “It’s fine,” he says gruffly, sitting down cross-legged next to Nitori. Hesitantly, Nitori sits back down and lets his feet slip back into the cool water.

They’re quiet for a moment. It’s almost peaceful.

“What,” Nitori croaks, voice cracking a little, “did you want to talk to me about, senpai?”

He regrets saying anything when Yamazaki turns his piercing eyes on Nitori. “This is about your feelings,” he says, and Nitori’s blood turns to ice. “Love, to be precise.”

“Y-Yamazaki-senpai–” Nitori starts to say, but suddenly there’s a guttural roar from behind them.

“You bastard!” Rin is yelling, storming towards them faster than he should be on the slippery tile floor. “You fucking _bastard_ , you _know_ how I feel about him!”

“Senpai!” Nitori is pleading, because Rin has never been this angry with him, and he knows that it looks bad, the two of them meeting in a secluded place after dark, but it really means nothing, could never mean anything, and Nitori would never, ever do anything that would hurt Rin, not like _this_ –

Rin stomps up to them furiously– and shoves Yamazaki into the pool with his foot.

Nitori stares, open-mouthed, at Rin. He’s heaving with anger, face flushed red, clutching Pocket Sweat in one hand and two energy bars in the other. So it _was_ Rin leaving those little gifts for Nitori while he did extra training?

“Bro, what the fuck?!” Yamazaki splutters.

Rin is still yelling at Yamazaki. “You don’t go behind a friend’s back and do this kind of shit!” he spits viciously. “Even if Ai– _likes_ you, you can’t just _fucking confess_ without telling me! That is fucked up, man!”

He turns to Ai suddenly, hurt written all across his features. “And you! So all that shit about the English test and doing things by yourself, that was all a lie so you could, what, go on a fucking _date_ –”

“No!” Nitori interrupts, horrified. Rin thinks Nitori likes Yamazaki? And that Yamazaki likes him back?! “No, no no no, Rin-senpai, it’s not like that!”

“Then what is it like?!” Rin snaps. “Because from where I’m standing–”

“I really like you, Rin-senpai!” Nitori blurts out before he loses the courage, eyes squeezed shut. Rin drops the snacks in his hands in shock, but Nitori can’t stop himself now, the words just come tumbling out of his mouth, “I- I was just– trying to get out of the way because you– deserve a _love_ _interest_ , not a supporting character– a best friend, not a teammate– and– I just–!” Oh god, he’s not making any _sense_. He forces himself to take a deep breath and stands up, opening his eyes to look, determined, at Rin as he does so. He swallows his fears. He can do this, he _can_.

“I’m so sorry, Rin-senpai,” he says, voice shaking. “I thought you– liked Yamazaki-senpai, so I–”

“You thought I liked Sousuke?” Rin yelps, aghast.

“Easier to believe than you liking me,” Nitori says softly, and immediately Rin’s eyes snap to his.

“Ai,” says Rin firmly, determination like steel burning in his eyes. “Let’s set the record straight. You like me, not Sousuke. Right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“And I like you, not Sousuke.”

Nitori’s heart stops, then starts pounding like crazy. “Oh,” he says, feeling light-headed.

Rin isn’t finished. “And Sousuke doesn’t like either of us, right?”

Yamazaki snorts, still treading water. “I’ve never liked anyone, Rin, you know that,” he says dryly.

“Good,” huffs Rin. “Right. So, Ai.”

Nitori jumps. “Y-Yes?”

Rin is suddenly bashful, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I know it’s kind of sudden, but… will you, um. Go out with me?”

Nitori can’t believe his ears. “I,” he says, dumbfounded. “Are you– sure? I’m– I’m not exactly– love interest material–”

“Ai,” Rin interrupts, grasping Nitori’s shoulders, somehow firm and gentle at the same time. The contact, the first in weeks, makes Nitori’s skin tingle, even through the cotton of his T-shirt. “If you aren’t love interest material, then why am I in love with you?”

“Oh,” says Nitori faintly, staring up at Rin in dazed delight.

“So?” Rin prompts softly. “Will you go out with me?”

As if there were any other answer. “Yes,” Nitori breathes, smiling small and amazed, “yes, of course.”

Rin grins back, shark teeth gleaming, and they just stand there smiling at each other like idiots. Idiots _in love_ , Nitori thinks to himself, giddy with excitement. They’re dating. _He’s dating Rin._

“Well,” drawls Yamazaki after a long moment, hauling himself up out of the water, and Rin hastily lets go of Nitori’s shoulders with an embarrassed cough. “As much as I’d love to watch you two mooning at each other all night, I have to go take _another_ shower because some _asshole_ pushed me in the pool.”

“Sorry,” says Rin sheepishly. His huge grin makes the sentiment seem insincere, but Yamazaki doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“Don’t stay out too late,” he tells them both, not unkindly, and saunters out of the room. Nitori watches him go, wondering absently how he makes it look cool even though he’s dripping wet from head to toe.

Rin clears his throat awkwardly. He’s blushing. Rin is blushing and awkward and terribly, terribly cute. Nitori is going to _die_. “Ai,” he says gruffly, and Nitori knows he’s got it bad because just the sound of his name in Rin’s mouth makes him unreasonably happy. “Can I. Um. Kiss you?”

The words have barely left his mouth but Nitori is already smoothing his hands over Rin’s jaw and pulling him down for a kiss.

It’s awkward and clumsy– their noses bump and their teeth clack, but then Rin tilts his head and hesitantly pulls Nitori close by the waist and _oh_ his lips are soft and smooth and taste like the coconut lip balm Nitori introduced to him last year, and suddenly Nitori is _melting_.

It feels like an age before they pull apart, but it’s not nearly long enough. Nitori presses their foreheads together, eyes still half-shut, lost in the warm contentment in his chest and the feel of Rin’s breath puffing against his face.

“Hey,” Rin murmurs, his voice deep and slow, “if you still need help with that English test…”

Nitori huffs a laugh. He honestly doesn’t care about the test, not when Rin is in his arms, but he won’t pass up an opportunity to spend time with his… boyfriend? Is that what they are now? The thought makes him dizzy.

“I’d like that,” Nitori whispers, and kisses Rin again.

\--

“Dude,” hisses Hoshino, pouncing on Sousuke as he leaves the pool. “So are they making out in there or what?!”

Sousuke shakes him off and keeps walking. “None of your business,” he growls, because it _certainly_ _had not_ been in the plan for him to get _kicked into a pool_.

“Aw, c’mon!” wheedles Kishimoto, hooking a lanky arm around Sousuke’s neck. “We’ve been orchestrating this for weeks, you can’t leave us in suspense now!”

“What’s this _we_ , I was the one doing all the work,” Sousuke retorts. It hadn’t been hard to glare at Nitori (though it did make him feel bad; the kid was like a little baby duckling) but still, he’d been the only one to actually do anything.

“What are you talking about!” Momo cries, and is promptly shushed. He continues in a furious whisper, “Who was the one who told Rin-senpai that Nitori-senpai would be here, huh?!”

“Yeah, and who told you how they felt about each other, huh?” Kishimoto demands.

“If it weren’t for us telling you what to do they’d still be pining,” Noshinoya points out.

Sousuke has had enough. “Can I just go have a shower?” he snaps. “In case you haven’t noticed, _I’m dripping wet_.”

The team blink at him like they’re only just noticing. They really are idiots. Sousuke can’t believe that these are some of the top athletes in the country.

“…Yamazaki-senpai has been through a lot tonight,” Yashida pipes up, bless his soul. “And we’ll find out whether it worked tomorrow at swim club anyway, those two can’t keep secrets very well.”

The team murmurs assent, and Sousuke heaves a sigh of relief. It’s summer, but there’s a strong breeze tonight and Sousuke is so over being cold and wet.

“Alright,” says Hoshino, puffing his chest out importantly. “I declare this meeting adjourned. Good work, operatives. Let’s get out of here before the targets spot us.”

The Samezuka Idiot Club salute him as one, then scatter. Sousuke doesn’t know how he got roped into this mess, but makes a mental note to stay far, far away from their schemes in the future. They may be stupid, but they are determined, and won’t stop until they achieve their goals.

The perfect team for Rin, Sousuke thinks, and chortles to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: The lovely [merthumblr](http://merthumblr.tumblr.com) has done a [wonderful fanart](http://linakai.tumblr.com/post/142437461684/teammate-rin-stomps-up-to-them-furiously) of this fic!!!Go show them some loooooveee <33
> 
> Written for the 100Prompts thing I was doing like a year ago. I went back through my old messages and requests and have made a pact to write something for every single one, so this is #26: Teammates for Rintori.
> 
> Ah. Aaaahh. My pure children. It was supposed to be like Samezuka team trying to matchmake but then I don't know, Nitori started having feelings and using metaphors all over and it became something I never intended it to be. I am quite happy with it, though, and I'm pleased to be back to Rintori, it's such a pure ship.
> 
> Also, yes, Sousuke is aro-ace in this. (He was in the pool shaking his head at these useless alloromantics, he can't understand all the drams.) He always comes across as so menacing and serious in the show, so I hope the way I've interpreted him here sounds and feels believable.
> 
> Feel free to yell at me in the comments about what you liked or didn't like, or you can do that on [my writing Tumblr](http://haven-writes.tumblr.com) if you prefer. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!


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